On May 25, as the world observes International Missing Children’s Day, one Ghanaian woman reflects on a movement she helped build from the ground up.
Regina Asamoah, founder of Missing Children Ghana, did not merely join the conversation — she started it.
Five years ago, the issue of missing children in Ghana was largely shrouded in silence. Families searched in desperation, often alone.
There was no dedicated organisation tracking missing children, no national day of remembrance, and no coordinated system to reunite families shattered by disappearance.
Today, thanks to Asamoah’s relentless advocacy, that silence has been broken. Over 300 missing children and adults have been reunited with their families.
Ghana now observes International Missing Children’s Day annually through her NGO, Missing Children Ghana, while efforts toward a stronger national child protection framework continue to evolve.
But for Regina Asamoah — a multiple award-winning Ghanaian journalist, founder of Missing Children Ghana, and Communications and Influencing Specialist at Plan International Ghana — the work is far from over.
A Journalist Who Turned Her Lens On The Unseen
Long before she became a leading voice in child protection, Regina Asamoah was a journalist who understood that the most important stories are often the hardest to tell.
Her career began in 2009, but her investigative documentaries set her apart. She produced hard-hitting works such as Defiled and Traumatised and Delayed Justice, which exposed the suffering of abused girls, led to justice for several victims, and secured scholarships for five survivors to return to school.
Her fearless reporting on gender issues earned her the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Best Female Journalist of the Year award in 2019.
However, it was her growing awareness of a hidden crisis — children disappearing from Ghana’s communities with little public attention — that would ultimately define her legacy.
The Documentary That Changed Everything
In May 2021, Asamoah produced the Missing Children Documentary, an investigative piece sparked by reports from Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region about missing children.
What she uncovered was devastating: dozens of children were languishing in orphanages for months or even years, separated from families desperately searching for them, trapped in a system with no clear mechanism for reunification.
The documentary exposed a painful truth: Ghana had no coordinated national response to missing children.
The psychological toll on Asamoah was immense.
“I couldn’t sleep for days after my first visit to the orphanage and interacting with over 30 missing children who yearn to go home but are unable to provide enough details. I kept asking myself how I could tell their stories in a way that would help at least one child reunite with their family. It had a deep psychological impact on me,” she confessed.
But she did not retreat. On May 22, 2021, she premiered the first Missing Children Documentary.
The response was overwhelming. Families rushed forward to claim children featured in the documentary, while others arrived with photos of missing loved ones not included, pleading for help.
Unable to turn them away, she continued her investigations.
Working with the Department of Social Welfare and the Ghana Police Service, she travelled across the country, visiting residential homes and engaging children to help trace and reunite them with their families.
The documentary series drew the attention of policymakers, civil society actors, and the general public, exposing the scale of the crisis for the first time. It later won the 2022 Popular TV Programme of the Year award at the African Awards.
On September 21, 2023, Asamoah was honoured by the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA) on World Peace Day for her contribution to peacebuilding through the Missing Children Documentary Series.
Founding Missing Children Ghana: From Awareness To Action
Asamoah recognised that journalism alone could not solve the crisis. Families needed more than awareness — they needed a structured response.
On May 24, 2023, at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, with support from the Ghana Italian Women’s Association and IPMC Ghana, she launched Missing Children Ghana, a non-profit organisation dedicated to tracing missing children, reuniting them with families, and advocating for stronger child protection systems.
The launch coincided with Ghana’s inaugural observance of International Missing Children’s Day on May 25 — a milestone she had long championed.
Since its establishment, Missing Children Ghana has reunited over 300 missing children and adults with their families, becoming a beacon of hope for many.
“For years, families of missing children suffered in silence,” Asamoah reflected. “They were told to wait, to pray, to hope. We built Missing Children Ghana so they would never have to wait alone again.”
Beyond reunification efforts, the organisation runs complementary initiatives such as the Strengthening Families Beyond Reunification programme, which supports caregivers economically to ensure sustainable care for reunited children and their siblings, alongside public education campaigns on child safety.
A Lasting Impact: The Creation Of The Missing Person Unit
Asamoah did not stop at raising awareness. Through her documentary work and engagement with the Ghana Police Service, she helped advocate for a structured national response.
Her efforts contributed significantly to the establishment of a dedicated Missing Person Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service, mandated to coordinate responses to missing children and adults.
Today, Missing Children Ghana works closely with the unit to ensure swift action in missing persons cases. The collaboration has become a model of civil society–law enforcement partnership in Ghana.
In 2025, the unit launched the Amber Alert system — a rapid emergency notification mechanism to mobilise the public when a child is believed to be abducted and in imminent danger, significantly improving response capacity.
At the launch, Asamoah was recognised for her pioneering role in strengthening Ghana’s missing children response system.
A Network Of Partners Driving The Mission
Asamoah emphasises that the success of Missing Children Ghana is the result of collective effort.
Key partners include the Ghana Police Service (especially the Missing Person Unit), the Department of Social Welfare, and various residential homes for children.
International and local partners — including the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Missing Child Kenya, Africa Missing Children Network, Ghana Italian Women and Men Association, IPMC Ghana, Plan International Ghana, Family Based Care Alliance, Catholic Relief Services, Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, Interplast Company Limited, Merge One Global Partners Limited, Antwi Jackson IT Solution, Boon Unisex Salon and Day Spa, Jada Rose Beauty Salon, Apau-Asante Outreach Savers International, Amazing Women of God, and the November Born Group — have also supported the work.
Missing Children Ghana is a member of both the African Missing Children Network and the Global Missing Children Network, linking Ghana to a worldwide child protection movement.
“We could not do this work alone,” Asamoah said. “Every child reunited is proof of what is possible when institutions, communities, and individuals work together.”
Taking The Fight Global
Asamoah’s work has earned international recognition. In 2023, she was nominated by the U.S. Embassy in Ghana to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Gender-Based Violence, where she visited six U.S. states to engage with organisations working on child and women’s rights.
In 2024, she received the U.S. Department of State IVLP Impact Award Grant for her project, Young Voices Matter: Empowering Boys and Girls in the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence.
Selected from over 600 global applicants, the project equipped schoolchildren and teachers with skills to combat GBV and created documentaries that amplify the voices of children.
The award was a testament to what she had long believed: protecting children requires both grassroots action and global solidarity.
Amplifying Impact Through Communications
Today, as Communications and Influencing Specialist at Plan International Ghana, Regina Asamoah brings her unique blend of journalistic rigor and advocacy expertise to shaping policies and programs that protect children on a national scale.
Her communications background has been instrumental in shifting public discourse around child protection.
Through strategic campaigns, media engagements, and storytelling, she has ensured that missing children are no longer invisible in Ghana’s national conversation.
“One missing child is one too many,” she often says – a mantra that has become the rallying cry for her movement.
A Legacy of Light
As Ghana marks International Missing Children’s Day on May 25, Regina Asamoah’s impact is unmistakable. What was once a hidden crisis is now a national priority. Families who once suffered in silence now have an organization dedicated to bringing their children home.
And a woman who began her career with a microphone now leads a movement that has changed countless lives.
Her principles, she says, are simple: transparency, gratitude, honesty, loyalty, humility, and love for humanity.
These values have guided her from the newsroom to the non-profit sector, from local advocacy to international recognition.
On May 25, when the world pauses to remember missing children everywhere, Regina Asamoah will be doing what she has always done: working to bring them home.
About International Missing Children’s Day
Observed annually on May 25, International Missing Children’s Day is a global moment to honor missing children who have been found, remember those who are still missing, and celebrate the efforts of organizations and individuals working to protect children.
Thanks to the pioneering work of Regina Asamoah and Missing Children Ghana, Ghana now joins nations around the world in marking this important day.
